March 22, 2017
Good morning from Washington, a day away from House Republicans' planned vote to repeal and replace Obamacare on the seventh anniversary of its passage. Melissa Quinn reports conservative lawmakers' problems with the bill amid President Trump's appeals for their support. The legislation won't do the job, health policy expert Ed Haislmaier argues. The other big story is Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch's jousting with Senate Democrats, and we've got both news and commentary. Plus: Fred Lucas on Trump's other pick for judge, and Jim Phillips on taking out ISIS.
Obamacare's basic construct is to take control of private health plans and convert them into off-budget extensions of federal programs. Yet, large swaths of the public do not want their private health coverage turned into a regulated public utility.
Gorsuch addressed multiple controversial topics—including abortion, religious liberty, gun rights, sexism, and Trump’s so-called travel ban.
"I'm still a 'no' because the bill we're currently considering does not lower [health insurance] premiums for the vast majority of Americans," says Rep. Mark Meadows, chairman of the House Freedom Caucus.
Trump intends to nominate U.S. District Judge Amul R. Thapar to serve as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. Appeals court judges can be nearly as important as Supreme Court judges since the high court is limited in the number of cases it accepts.
Gorsuch is demonstrating that he understands the proper role of the judiciary and that he will be a great Supreme Court justice.
Washington should press coalition members to take more effective steps to choke off fundraising for ISIS, combat its internet recruitment efforts, and discredit its propaganda.
Suppose a college honored the right of its students to free themselves from biological determinism and allowed those with XY chromosomes to play on teams formerly designated as XX teams.
The Daily Signal is brought to you by more than half a million members of The Heritage Foundation.
